My Girlfriend's Childhood Friend
by Seigetsu Ren
Summary: Sometimes you just can't help ranting about your childhood friend being an idiot. Poor Tsugumi and Sayo have to be on the receiving end of their respective girlfriend's rants.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** _(Cross-posted on AO3)_

I have wanted to write a TsuguLisa fic ever since I dreamed up of the pairing over their common baking mastery. Sorry for having ranted on and on about my theories of how these two can be so perfect for each other, la-comtesse. I've finally gathered the drift wood to craft this makeshift raft - hope it sails better than a rock.

This fic is a side story of my YukiSayo drinking fic which can be found here:  
(FFN URL followed by) s/13172724/8/Happy-Smile-YukiSayo  
It is not necessary to read that first, as this fic can stand alone individually. The first chapter features Lisa complaining to Tsugu about YukiSayo, while the second chapter will feature Yukina complaining to Sayo about TsuguLisa.

**Tags: **aged-up characters, love confessions, brief implication of homophobia

* * *

**My Girlfriend's Childhood Friend**

Chapter 1

"Let me do it! Just sit down and relax, Tsugumi."

It had been a slow day at the Hazawa Café. Lisa-senpai had come to help as promised, but there really hadn't been much for her to do – Tsugumi felt bad about wasting her time, though Lisa just shook it off and in her usual lovely smile said, "I'm happy enough to spend more time with you, Tsugumi." Seeing as the night had deepened and it was unlikely they would find more customers at this hour, Tsugumi closed the café early to enjoy the rest of the evening with her girlfriend.

Tsugumi still found it somewhat surreal to be watching Lisa make coffee like this from the customer side of the counter. She had always admired her senpai since they first met. Lisa had been a "famous" student at their high school for her bright and friendly personality. She always wore a beautiful smile which she displayed indiscriminately to everyone – strangers – she came across in the halls. The first time Tsugumi and she had talked had been when Lisa-senpai offered a helping hand to the student council for no other reason than having noticed their plight before the cultural festival. It was that time that Tsugumi realized her senpai's radiance was more than just a smile. Lisa-senpai was kind and gentle, but also assertive and capable when it counted. She was organized. She was dependable. And the way she just "understood" people made everyone gravitate towards her. She put the students to work on various tasks and nobody complained, for she had carefully gauged what their strengths and interests were and took care to make sure nobody overworked themselves. Lisa-senpai was amazing. Tsugumi wished she could be more like her.

That distant admiration soon grew to be something more as Tsugumi and Lisa came to know each other personally. At first, the two had few chances for interactions, belonging to different grades and clubs at school. But Lisa was a social butterfly. She came to be friends with Moca-chan through their part-time job, so on the occasion Moca would bring her along to the Hazawa Café to hang out. Then there was Sayo-san, Lisa's serious bandmate who Tsugumi had befriended by chance during the café's baking class. Sayo-san had taken a liking to the café's calm atmosphere and became a frequent costumer – she also made the café her base for whenever she wanted to complain about her younger twin sister - the eccentric Haneoka Student Council President Hikawa Hina-senpai - with Lisa, who was Hina's classmate. In the beginning, Tsugumi just listened to their conversations. Later, as her friendship with everyone deepened, her opinion would be solicited. She found herself often in agreement with Lisa. Compared to the hands-off'ish, happy-go-lucky kind of approach that Moca-chan endorsed, Lisa and Tsugumi probably cared too much about everyone and everything happening around them. Compared to Sayo-san's stubborn and headstrong attitude, Lisa and Tsugumi held milder opinions and were more willing to be swayed by alternative solutions. It wasn't that Tsugumi didn't enjoy interacting with people drastically different from herself. They were interesting in their own right, and each time she talked with them she felt like she learned something new. But sometimes, it was comforting to meet someone like herself, someone she could easily agree with. It definitely helped that Lisa-senpai shared her interest for girly romance manga and was also a busy baker with too many recipes to share. They could talk for hours without even realizing it!

Tsugumi didn't know exactly when it happened, but at some point, she started thinking of Lisa-senpai as someone more than a friend. Whenever she was with Lisa, she would feel warm inside. She wanted to spend more time with her, even if they were just in the same room doing their own things. When Lisa came in for a coffee, Tsugumi would catch herself stealing glances at her senpai. Lisa-senpai was beautiful. So beautiful it made her heart race. She didn't want to ever part from her senpai, but Lisa was graduating and Tsugumi was staying. It made her afraid that was how their relationship would end. Luckily, Lisa-senpai hadn't stopped visiting the café. When Tsugumi told her she wanted to go to the same college as Lisa, Lisa had looked happy. "Let me help you study then!" she offered. They ended up even closer than before.

The love that had blossomed within Tsugumi sometimes made her so elated she couldn't believe it was real, but other times left her so scared and tender. Lisa-senpai was close to her childhood friend and band leader, Minato Yukina-senpai. They spent a lot of time together. Tsugumi would see them walking down the street hand in hand. Sometimes Lisa-senpai would snuggle close to Yukina-senpai – Tsugumi could only wish that Lisa-senpai would show a fraction of that intimacy with her. She imagined Lisa-senpai feeding her a cookie. The thought alone made her cheeks hot and her heart pound, but when she realized it was all in her head, her heartbeats started to ache with jealousy.

One time, Moca-chan had chanced upon her when she had been feeling that way. Lisa-senpai had just visited the café, and in an idle conversation, revealed that she would be spending Christmas Eve with Yukina-senpai. So the rumours must be true. Lisa-senpai was really dating Yukina-senpai. Why else would they be spending Christmas Eve together?

"Eh~ Why is Tsugu so un-Tsugurific today? I thought Lisa-san had just stopped by?"

"Wha…What are you talking about, Moca-chan? I am the same old. And what does Lisa-senpai have to do with this?"

"She doesn't?" Moca's smile turned to a sly grin. "I thought Tsugu has the huuugest crush on her though?"

Tsugumi felt her face burn from embarrassment. She should feel happy about having such feelings – one-sided as they were, they were still precious and not something anybody could possess. She was blessed enough to have met someone as amazing as Lisa-senpai and came to be close enough to her to develop such a crush. Still, she felt a pain in her chest. She couldn't help but wish for what couldn't be. It hurt.

"Moca-chan…I know you mean well, but…would you please not bring this up again?"

Moca looked surprised. Her expression then turned serious. "If that is what you want, Tsugu. But…would you at least tell me why?"

Seeing as Moca was worried about her, Tsugumi relented. "Well…my feelings would never be returned, you see? Lisa-senpai is dating Yukina-senpai."

"She is!?" Moca was shaking her head. "No, no…unless if Lisa-san told you that herself, you are probably mistaken. Just the other day she had been complaining to me about how she wished Minato-san and the older Hikawa-san would just get together already, because they were being idiots at band practice or something like that."

"But…"

Had Tsugumi really been mistaken? Did she still stand a chance?

"Honestly, you shouldn't overthink it, Tsugu. None of this changes your feelings for Lisa-san, does it? You should just leave it to her to decide how to respond to your feelings. That's how you usually are, right? The daring Tsugu is the most Tsugurific Tsugu!"

That was right. Tsugumi was no coward. With Moca-chan's encouragement she found the courage to confess. She was so nervous when she texted Lisa-senpai that her fingers shook.

_Tsugumi: I would like to give Senpai a Christmas present. Is it okay if I stop by your home in an hour?_

_Lisa: A present? You didn't have to…_

_Lisa: Actually, I was going to stop by the café in a bit. I have something to give you too._

That night, they exchanged Christmas gifts at the Hazawa Café. Lisa had gotten Tsugumi a bath powder set she had been eyeing for a while. Tsugumi had knitted a rabbit amigurumi doll that a blushing Lisa had immediately clipped onto her purse with a wide smile. And with no surprise, they had also prepared a packet of homemade cookies to be exchanged, Lisa's was gingerbread dusted with cinnamon, Tsugumi's chocolate sugar cookies.

"They look so delicious, Tsugumi! I almost want to eat them now!"

"Um…thank you, Lisa-senpai." Tsugumi fidgeted. "Your cookies look really good too. How about we share them with some coffee?"

"Is that really okay?"

"Yes! I would like to eat them now too, so…if Lisa-senpai doesn't mind spending a bit more time with me…"

"Of course not!" Lisa turned a little abashed. "I'll always have time for you."

Lisa didn't say anything more, occupying her mouth with drinking coffee instead. Tsugumi watched her, admiring the way pink dusted her high cheeks framed by meticulously-styled copper curls. Lisa was watching the snow outside. Her eyes were contrastingly warm, a green that reminded Tsugumi of river reed.

Lisa turned at that moment, catching Tsugumi staring. Tsugumi looked away, but it had already been too late. Lisa addressed her.

"Tsugumi."

"Sorry, I had been staring…"

"No. It's okay. Actually, I…um…have something to ask. Would you happen to have the evening free on Christmas Eve?"

Tsugumi almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Chri…Christmas Eve? But I thought Lisa-senpai is spending Christmas Eve with Yukina-senpai?"

"Oh. I'm just going to make some food for her because her parents won't be home until later in the evening. She'll be spending the night at her parent's place afterwards."

"I…I see." Tsugumi fidgeted again. A very daring sentence formed in her mind and she felt embarrassed just thinking it. But Moca's words rang in her head. Think less. Do more. _You can do it, Tsugu! _"…By inviting me on Christmas Eve, Lisa-senpai, may…may I interpret this as a…date?"

She…she said it! Her face was burning so hard now that she wanted to bury herself in sand like an ostrich. To her surprise, Lisa-senpai was wearing a matching expression. Lisa's eyes wandered, her finger picking at an invisible something on her cheek.

"Um…yes. I…I would like to go out with you, Tsugumi. As…girlfriends. If that is okay."

"Yes!" – Tsugumi hadn't ever answered so quickly in her life.

That was a month ago. Since then, the two had gone out on dates whenever they found the time, just doing simple things like watching their favourite romantic comedies at the theatre, checking out local bookstores, shopping for bath salts and the like. Lisa came by to help at the café on occasion like she had done earlier tonight. She was a quick learner, having already mastered the art of coffeemaking and all the recipes for their café's signature baked goods. Be it working in the kitchen or out waiting on tables, she was fantastic. The customers loved her, but nobody loved her more than Tsugumi of course.

Lisa had finished making the coffees and came to sit with Tsugumi at the table. Tsugumi took a sip. It was perfect, with just the right amount of milk and sugar already blended in. Was it just her, or did the coffee taste warm and sweet just like Lisa herself? Tsugumi giggled at the thought.

"What is so funny?"

"Nothing much. So, how was your live the other day? I am sorry I couldn't make it."

"Don't worry about it. There is always next time!"

And then Lisa told her all about the live, how Ako-chan hyped everybody up with her energetic drumming, and how Rinko-san was smiling when she was playing even though she had been quivering in a corner when she peeked out at the sold-out stands right before the show. There was also Sayo-san and her amazing performance, though of course she would find something to nitpick about it and apparently had been upset after the show. Tsugumi made a note to cheer up her friend next time she saw her. Then Lisa got to Yukina-senpai, the heart and soul of Roselia. Even without Lisa's admiring commentary Tsugumi could imagine the way Yukina-senpai shone. Yukina-senpai had always been gorgeous, but she was even more so under the spotlight, her features delicate as a doll's but holding such power it was like she was both ice and fire at once. Her voice would captivate anyone. Such was her talent, which made Tsugumi feel somewhat inadequate in comparison.

"…And then we had a yakiniku party to celebrate. You're not going to believe this."

"Is it something to do with Sayo-san?"

"Wow, you are smart! Yes. Sayo. The ever serious Sayo. Got dead drunk at the restaurant and started screaming for more beer. And guess who took her home. Yukina! Oh my goodness, it was a disaster. You know how unfit Yukina is, okay. And she is puny. Imagine Yukina trying to drag a drunk Sayo all the way back home. She even refused our help! 'I can handle this' – she said. Ako was rolling her eyes, haha. I also bet Yukina didn't know she herself was the reason why Sayo was so drunk in the first place. Yukina is so dense that she'd put lead bricks to shame. I swear, even Kokoro knows about Hikawa Sayo's not-so-secret crush. Just when are those two gonna get together? This soap opera has dragged on long enough…"

Tsugumi smiled. "Lisa-senpai really loves Yukina-senpai and Sayo-san, it seems."

"Of course! Yukina is my best friend since childhood, and Sayo is my buddy." As though sensing something concerning, Lisa moved over and placed a hand over Tsugumi's. "What's wrong? Something on your mind?"

Tsugumi knew she had no reason to feel insecure. She trusted Lisa, and it was definitely not her intention to take Lisa away from her friends. Just as her Afterglow friends were important to her, Yukina-senpai was important to Lisa-senpai. She understood that.

"I…I'm just wondering when I can also come to be so close to Lisa-senpai. I know it's not a contest or anything! But…like…Yukina-senpai and you seem to understand each other so well. I wish I could be a little more like that. I'm sorry, it's such a silly thought."

"It's not silly."

Lisa intertwined her fingers with Tsugumi's and snuggled into the crook of Tsugumi's neck. The feeling was soft and warm – it calmed Tsugumi's heart.

"We can't come to an understanding if we keep things from one another, so no matter how trivial a concern you may think it is, please share it with me. I, too, want to understand Tsugumi more and more. Okay?"

"Un."

Lisa raised her head. Their faces came so close they could feel each other's breaths. Tsugumi's heart started skipping faster. She gripped tighter onto Lisa's hand as they crossed the remaining distance.

"I'm sorry if this sounds like a sappy line from a shoujo manga, but I really think…that…that Tsugumi is the most beautiful," Lisa whispered, clearly embarrassed by her own words. "Nobody can compare. Not Sayo. Not Yukina. Just you."

As though to shut herself up, Lisa pressed her lips against Tsugumi's. Sure, the lines were sappy, but Tsugumi could not feel more contented. She returned the kiss, once more thanking the heavens for the wonderful gift that was her girlfriend.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** _(Cross-posted on AO3)_

I think this fic, too, turned into plain comedy by this chapter. I don't know what my brain is made of. Pure helium gas or something. I made a mention of everybody's parents in this chapter. I have no idea what they are like other than, maybe, Yukina's dad. I just wrote them from my imagination without any serious consideration.

Once again, this is a side story of my YukiSayo drinking fic. This is where the drinking references came from:  
(FFN URL followed by) s/13172724/8/Happy-Smile-YukiSayo

* * *

**My Girlfriend's Childhood Friend**

Chapter 2

Yukina stumbled into her apartment, her house key still stuck in the lock but she couldn't get herself to care.

"I'm back," she grumbled, making her way towards the couch. Sayo stood up to meet her.

"Welcome home. Are you okay, Minato-san? I thought you wouldn't be drinking tonight."

After the last fiasco of Yukina downing a flask of sake, she had been careful with her intake of alcohol. Honestly, she wasn't particularly fond of the taste of alcohol in the first place – that little stunt had just been out of spite for the last time Sayo had been drunk. Anyway, that was a story for another time. The reason she had drunk so much that night was because she needed it to dull her irritation for her less-than-satisfactory company.

"I wish I was drunk, but I am not, unfortunately."

Yukina plopped down on the couch, still nudging her temples to rid them of the dull pain that came with her exasperation. Sayo helped close the front door after removing the key and put Yukina's shoes back on the rack before joining her on the couch.

"I thought you had dinner with Imai-san? Was it not to reminisce about your shared childhood?"

"Unless you count her dating adventures at the age of twenty-two as childhood."

"Ah…" Sayo nodded in understanding. "So this is about Hazawa-san…again."

Lisa wasn't even attempting to hide her lovey dovey overaged-but-still-shoujo romance from her bandmates now. Everyday before practice started she would brag about Tsugumi's delicious cakes and coffee – as warm and wonderful as her cotton-candy kisses and bear hugs that would put hugging Michelle the HaroHapi Mascot to shame. Once, when Lisa was making one of her cheesy, over-the-top comparisons of her relationship to edibles, Yukina might have rolled her eyes and said, "Right, your relationship is as searing and mushed as freshly grilled yakiimo put through a blender." This was Minato Yukina they were talking about. The stone-faced, always-serious Minato Yukina dishing out the most sarcastic retort anyone could imagine. And Lisa took it as a compliment, blushing and all. Rinko had choked on the spaghetti she had been consuming.

"I don't think I have asked before. How did Imai-san and Hazawa-san's relationship start?" Sayo asked, knowing Yukina was looking for any cue to rant about her childhood friend to get the sickening sweetness out of her system, but was too proud to launch a tirade randomly. Sayo mused that Lisa's gushing must have been exceptionally ridiculous for a sugar-lover like Yukina to be fed up with its saccharine quality.

"Come to think of it, it might've been your fault, Sayo."

"…My fault?"

"And Aoba-san's. You two were the ones who first brought Lisa to the Hazawa Café, right?"

"Well…" Sayo chuckled awkwardly. There wasn't much she could say for that was the truth. Maybe she could blame it on her twin sister, as ranting about Hina with Lisa in a safe place had been the initial reason why she had brought Lisa to the café. That and Tsugumi's coffee was indeed delicious, though Lisa really could tone down on her incessant bragging sometimes…

Yukina sighed. "I suppose I am to be blamed too."

"How so?"

"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That was how I had become the person Lisa confided in for all her love problems. A terrible choice, you would think. At the time I had no experience in dating and no interest in the matter anyway – she would find a better reference in one of those silly soap operas on TV. But apparently all Lisa was looking for were a pair of ears and a sturdy enough stomach to not vomit from all her sappy ramblings. She should've just confided in a cat."

And then Yukina recalled the first time she had heard about Lisa and Tsugumi's relationship. It had been towards the end of their third year of high school. They had already passed their college entrance exams – in Yukina's case, she had been admitted to a music program based more on her singing achievements than her academic records. As such, they finally had some time to relax after the stress of exams in the first stretch of their senior year. Lisa had invited Yukina to the Hazawa Café to hang out. Usually, Yukina would decline such activity that she viewed as a waste of time, but the Hazawa Café was doing a promotion on specialty lattes, one of which showed off beautiful latte art of a kitten. Yukina swore it was a conspiracy to empty her wallet.

So that was how Yukina ended up at the Hazawa Café that fateful afternoon. "To hang out" was what Lisa had said, though their conversation ended soon as their orders had arrived. "What cute latte art!" Lisa had exclaimed when Tsugumi brought over Yukina's latte. She didn't even wait for Yukina's reply before turning to Tsugumi to shower her with praises, and under the pretense of wanting to learn how the latte art was done, left their table for the other side of the counter where Tsugumi worked. It was fine by Yukina. She had wanted to snap a photo of her latte before drinking it, but she'd rather Lisa be out of sight so she wouldn't be teased. As she did so, though, the sole remaining customer of the shop sidled up to her.

"…Minato-saaaaaaaaan…"

Yukina nearly jumped, her phone dropped onto the table, narrowly avoiding drowning in the hot coffee. She glared back at the grinning face before her. Aoba Moca, her kouhai at school and bandmate of Hazawa Tsugumi. She was also Lisa's friend at work – Yukina had heard as much.

"Aoba-san, good day," Yukina said curtly; her tone was one that didn't exactly coincide with the word "good". Moca didn't seem to mind, plopping herself onto Lisa's chair and proceeding to drink right out of Lisa's untouched cup. Yukina stared at her. Moca waved it off lazily.

"Don't mind, don't mind, Minato-san. Lisa-san isn't gonna touch this coffee anymore. She'd be too full from an abundance of loooooove…"

Yukina quirked an eyebrow. Moca answered by draping an arm over Yukina's shoulders, which made her brows furrow even further. Since when was she familiar with Aoba Moca?

"You're too dense, Minato-saaaaan..."

"Dense?"

Moca pointed at the other two people in the shop who were working on the other side of the counter. Both Lisa and Tsugumi were completely unaware that Moca and Yukina were scrutinizing them – such was their concentration on…making coffee? No. They were giving life to the gem of their budding romance. Their faces were way too close they were probably breathing each other's CO2, one girl's hand would always part the cup at little too late while the other would grab it a little too early and, oops~ their fingers would graze in fleeting touches and they would turn pink in the cheeks. Actually, if the coffee they were making weren't pink too, it would be blasphemy.

Okay, Yukina had to admit that Moca had a point.

"What Lisa chooses to do with her time, whom she chooses to further her relationships with, are not my business now, aren't they?" Yukina rebuked.

Moca pouted. "Don't be so boooooriing…Moca-chan needs company for sailing this ship!"

"Sailing…what?"

"Ship. A relationship. As Tsugu and Lisa-san's best friends we need to support their relationship!"

"What do you mean by support? I do not see how I'm being unsupportive."

"Aww…Minato-saaaaan…you need to show your fangirl spirit!"

Yukina blinked. Was Aoba Moca related to Ako perhaps? Their speech patterns were equally unintelligible.

"By fangirl spirit do you mean I should buy some glowsticks and wave them around chanting of my undying support?"

"Hmm…good idea!" Moca agreed much to Yukina's surprise. "We need to chant their ship name."

"A…ship name?" Yukina didn't think she understood, but she tried wracking her brains through the names of ships she had encountered in her history textbooks. Maybe she should just tag "maru" to the end of a descriptor. "Imaimaru? Hazawamaru? Imazawamaru?"

"Aaaaa…wrong type of ship, Minato-san. Here, let me think of one – TsuguLisa. Or LisaTsugu. Or TsuguLisaTsugu since switching up who tops and who bottoms is the greatest of all loves."

Yukina just nodded, having given up on comprehending the conversation that was now beyond her. Funny enough, Moca had already finished Lisa's coffee but Lisa and Tsugumi had yet to notice it.

"Minato-saaaaaaaan…Are you still listening?"

Yukina turned her gaze back to Moca. "Yes. TsuguLisaTsugu, the greatest of all loves, right? I apologize. I was wondering briefly when Lisa would notice you drank her coffee."

"Aaaah, I told ya not to mind~" Moca's voice trailed off to space as usual, except this time, she bounded back up with renewed energy suddenly. "Coffee! You just gave me the bestest idea of a ship name, Minato-san!"

"The…best…test?"

"Yeah yeah! Their hair! The perfect ship name is about their hair!"

All Yukina could think of was a luxury cruise floating leisurely across the Pacific with a clump of hair affixed to its mast. The imagery was a little disgusting, actually. Yukina put down her latte with a shiver.

"Moca-chan shall bestow the name of 'Mocha' to this ship."

"Is this a pun?" Yukina asked.

"Heh heh. It's brilliant, eh?" Moca answered like a proud mother at her daughter's graduation. "Tsugu's hair is the colour of chocolate, Lisa-san's hair is the colour of light roast coffee beans. So guess what? Chocolate + coffee = mocha! Isn't Moca-chan a genius!"

It was a rather straight-forward logic. Yukina had been expecting something more outrageous.

"So Aoba-san will support the Mocha Ship from hereon forward?"

"Not 'Aoba-san', My Friend. Moca-chan! Moca-chan will support the Mocha Ship! Did ya hear how well that rang?"

"Haaa…"

And so, Yukina had been unwittingly recruited into the "Moca for Mocha" fanclub. Moca, and to a lesser extent Himari, started sending her texts asking for her help in arranging opportunities for Lisa and Tsugumi to meet – those texts became even more frequent when Lisa and Tsugumi no longer went to the same school upon the third years' graduation. As much as Yukina respected Afterglow as Roselia's rivals, she never knew they were such busybodies. Even Tomoe started subtly asking her favours to propel the Mocha Ship agenda by going through Ako, and Mitake Ran might have said something like "As hard as it is to admit, Tsugu is now in Minato-san's care" when they passed each other in the studio. Why did it sound like Ran was trying to marry off her childhood friend, not even to Lisa but Yukina!?

Yukina did do her friendly duties though – she owed Lisa as much for all the cookies she had mooched off her. That and she'd rather Lisa be out on a date with Tsugumi than lounging on Yukina's sofa whining about how much she missed the latter. "Why don't you just confess to her already?" Yukina asked. Lisa looked at her in shock.

"Confess what!?"

"Your love?"

"I…I didn't really say that…I'm…you know…in love with her or anything…" Lisa's face was about to camouflage into her red head.

Yukina narrowed her eyes. "Do you take me as an idiot?"

"Ahahaha…" Lisa fake laughed while slamming Yukina's back repeatedly with her hand. It hurt. "What are you talking about, Yukina? There is no such thing!"

"I do not care what's the truth but stop involving me. I am disinterested to check my phone and see thirty notifications from the Afterglow TsuguLisa Stans chat that I had been added into for whatever the reason. Last I checked, I do not scream punk rock in paint-splashed sweaters and ripped jeans."

"I…uh…guess I'm sorry?"

Lisa did not look sorry at all.

"Why don't you just ask her out yourself? As friends, to start. I do not see why the rest of Afterglow and myself need to do your work for you."

"Well…for one, I do not want to put pressure on Tsugumi…"

Yukina couldn't wrap her head around Lisa's reasoning. "Have you ever worried about putting pressure on me when you repeatedly ask me to accompany you on pointless shopping trips?"

"You're different, Yukina. You are not so delicate."

"Excuse me?"

Lisa ignored Yukina's indignant response. "And then, there is the issue of how others would perceive our relationship if we keep going out together. Like…what would our parents think?"

It was a valid point. "But you will have to confront that sooner or later. What are you waiting for?"

"I guess I want to confirm if this is something Tsugumi would be on-board with too. We still don't understand each other super well, so there is no way I can tell. For now, I just want to hang out like regular friends…so, you know…Afterglow can bring Tsugumi along and you can come by as well. Just a big group and Tsugumi and I happen to chat a little more closely. Like that."

Yukina sighed. "Fine, I will play along. For now."

"For now" ended up lasting the next three years, and apparently it was Tsugumi who confessed first after Lisa cleared up her confusion about Lisa and Yukina dating. If Yukina were there, she would've rebuked that it was ridiculous to imply she would want to date a coward like Lisa. And to think she knew her childhood friend well. Yukina could've sworn Lisa to be bolder than this in the past – but where her "adorable sweetheart" was concerned (allow Yukina to shiver once before continuing), she lost all the conviction that Roselia was known for. Come to think of it, maybe Yukina should've kicked Lisa out of the band for her spinelessness.

To be fair, Lisa's father was not very fond of the idea of his daughter dating a girl. That might've been the source of Lisa's initial reservations. Her mother was more lenient though, and along with Yukina's father who had been his long-time friend, had convinced him to at least stay neutral about the subject. Tsugumi's parents were fully supportive, which came as a surprise to Lisa because she said Tsugumi's father had looked a little stern. They were happy to welcome Lisa to their shop – of course, that also had to do with the fact that Lisa was an amazing helper and brought in a fair bit of business just from her spider web-like social network and brilliant marketing ideas. Tsugumi's parents fed Lisa with so many "food samples" that she worried she'd weigh a tonne after spending a month like that.

"Worry" was how Lisa had put it, although Sayo mused at this point in Yukina's storytelling that Lisa must be happy more than anything else. And so was Yukina.

"I understand that Imai-san's analogies of her relationship to confections might be a little overbearing, but…" Sayo smiled, taking Yukina's hand into her own, "…you seem happy for her too. Am I right, Minato-san?"

Yukina sighed. Sure, Lisa's whole deal with the "Tsugumi is my chocolate fondue" statements was annoying, but Yukina couldn't help but admit the warm feeling whenever Lisa talked so fondly of her love. Yukina had consumed so much of Lisa's adolescent years, rolled up in her self-imposed misery. Lisa had been too nice to leave her alone, for which Yukina was forever grateful but also regretful. Yukina knew Lisa had given up a lot for her, to help her out of her spiral – her time, her other friends, her interests. Lisa deserved better. Seeing Lisa now with her own happy life gave Yukina a bit of solace.

"I would be a horrible person if I am not happy for my best friend," Yukina said, returning Sayo's smile.

…

The time was spring. The cherries in full bloom. Lisa had invited Yukina on another of their "childhood friends only" gatherings – this time they were doing a picnic at a fairly popular flower-viewing spot. Yukina knew Lisa's true intention. Tsugumi must be flower-viewing with her own childhood friends from Afterglow and so Lisa wanted to do something similar so that Tsugumi and she could share their respective experiences once they were home for the night. This was good and all, but Yukina would not lower her defences just because of Lisa's pure intentions. No. Yukina was prepared for _battle_. After all, Lisa wasn't the only one with a wonderful girlfriend who knew how to cook. Yukina attested that her girlfriend was no weakling in the martial art of food preparation either.

"So, Tsugumi baked us the best desserts to share for after our lunches. Aren't you excited, Yukina?" Lisa asked, taking out a beautifully decorated box from her cutesy yellow bag with the Afterglow logo printed near the handles in signature black lettering and an artistic splash of red in its background.

Traitor.

"We can talk about dessert after lunch," Yukina said bluntly in response. She took out the towers of bento boxes from her own gigantic knapsack – thank goodness Sayo's father had given Yukina a ride and even helped her carry the food to the place of their hanami party. "I cannot let my daughter's pride be questioned" was what the good man had said, his serious features left no room for doubt even when they were framed by pastel turquoise hair. A really good man indeed. Yukina had thanked him with a deep bow.

Lisa helped open the boxes. Her jaws dropped when she found a giant crab in there made into three different dishes. That was just the appetizer. Roasted beef sandwiches. Perfectly-simmered monkfish with shiitake mushrooms and konnyaku. Of course, no Hikawa Sayo-made meal would be complete without a healthy helping of fries. Scrawled over the boxful of fries in bright red ketchup letters were the words "YukiSayo #1 Couple in the Universe".

"Um…Yukina?"

Lisa looked like she was questioning her life choices. Yukina scoffed before digging into the fries.

"I know you are jealous. But I will not surrender Sayo even if you beg."


End file.
